Does henna make anyone else feel sick?

**Olivia23** · August 10th, 2009, 06:23 PM

I am trying to use henna again since it seems to have faded some. I HATE the smell of henna!!! Right now I am sitting with it on my head saran wrapped several times and have a towel wrapped over it, but I have the sickest headache! Last time I used henna it had the same effect on me. I almost want to puke! Does anyone else have a strong aversion to henna smell?

I also have have a hard time going into a candle store at the mall because the smells make me sick and I would have to run to the bathroom quickly if I went in there. I can wear certain perfumes as long as they are not to strong. Is there anything I can do to mask the henna smell? I don't want to stop using it!

**Kat** · August 10th, 2009, 06:45 PM

Strongly-scented essential oils? Although if it's strong smells that bug you, and not the synthetic chemicals in perfumes, likely that would bother you as well...

**SimplyLonghair** · August 10th, 2009, 06:55 PM

There are people that henna makes actually sick, you might want to look into using something else, it might not just be the smell. Good luck.

**Norai** · August 11th, 2009, 12:21 AM

For me the headache comes from the weight - I have to rest my head on something after a half hour or so. Is your headache from weight or from smell/reaction?

I remember someone mentioning fenugreek covers the scent pretty well, but I haven't tried it. Rosemary essential oil would probably be good for this too since it's supposed to be great for your scalp.

**kdaniels8811** · August 11th, 2009, 04:02 AM

I used rosewater to make my henna mix and it helped cut down the odor considerably.

**Leoneska** · August 11th, 2009, 04:18 AM

I'm a cassia user - and I don't like the smell at all. I tried it with orange blossom essential oil (scentsationoils). Better than before (-:

**Arashi** · August 11th, 2009, 04:34 AM

Oh god yes... The first few times I tolerated the smell, but eventually I couldn't stand it. That smell would give me awful headaches and eventually I started getting nauseous from it. It was even worse when I rinsed the henna out, only to apply the indigo which reeked even worse.. It's one of the many reasons I stopped using the stuff. (I once even tried using essential oils, but that made it even worse. Gag)

**twilight_faerie** · August 11th, 2009, 05:17 AM

Some people use cloves to mask the smell of the henna. I've tried using various EO's and spices to make henna smell better, but to me it seems like all the individual scents just mix together resulting in one big offensive stench. Kinda like trying to hide body odor with perfume.

**caribou55313** · August 11th, 2009, 05:54 AM

The best thing I've found to neutralize henna's scent is powdered ginger, about 2 Tbsp per 100 gm of henna. It doesn't completely eliminate it but it helps. If you have only used henna twice, keep in mind that as you use it more, you'll get used to it and perhaps the smell won't be as overwhelming for you.

If you want to keep it up, try the ginger next time. Ginger and cloves make a very nice combination, too, but cloves alone aren't as good at neutralizing the scent.

**Norai** · August 11th, 2009, 05:59 PM

I've heard that different batches of henna have a better or worse smell - I saw someplace that Punjabi Prime from H4H was one of the most tolerable ones.